TITO SEN AND HELEN MARK OVER 5 DECADES OF WEDDED BLISS

SENATOR TITO SOTTO and Helen Gamboa celebrated their 56th wedding anniversary this year, marking over five decades of wedded bliss since their marriage on Sept. 22, 1969. As the date fell on a Monday in 2025, they chose to celebrate a day earlier — on Sunday, Sept. 21-at East Ocean Palace in Aseana Business Park, Parañaque City.

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It was an intimate and relaxed celebration with only four round tables: two for Tita Helen's "dabarkads" and two for immediate family - their children and grandchildren. I was fortunate to be seated at the table with Tito Sen and Tita Helen, where conversations were lively and filled with insights into the latest national developments.

Congratulations are in order for Tito Sen, who reclaimed the Senate Presidency last Sept. 8 from Senator Chiz Escudero. The latter has recently been at the center of controversies - from allegedly delaying impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Duterte, to questionable insertions in the national budget, and most notably, the P30 million in campaign donations from Lawrence Lubiano. Lubiano is one of the top 15 contractors flagged by President Bongbong Marcos in his now-famous presentation identifying those who have cornered 20 percent of the country's flood control projects.

With these mounting issues, many in the Senate felt that the institution's integrity was being eroded. The leadership change was seen as a necessary step toward regaining public trust.